BEP20

BEP20 is the token standard on BNB Smart Chain (BSC), the EVM-compatible chain operated by Binance. Structurally, BEP20 is nearly identical to Ethereum's ERC20 — the interface (balanceOf, transfer, approve, transferFrom) is the same, and the address format is the same (0x + 40 hex characters).

The practical distinction is which blockchain the token lives on. USDT-BEP20 is Tether on BNB Smart Chain; USDT-ERC20 is Tether on Ethereum; both use the same standard, but they are on separate chains and cannot be transferred between chains without a bridge. Sending USDT-BEP20 to an ERC20 address on Ethereum will not work — even though the address format is the same, the transaction is executed on the wrong chain and the tokens end up in an address controlled by no one on the destination chain.

BEP20 became popular for its low fees (fractions of a cent per transaction) and fast block times (~3 seconds), making it attractive for high-frequency stablecoin transfers and DeFi activity. The trade-off is decentralization: BNB Smart Chain has significantly fewer validators than Ethereum, controlled by a smaller set of operators.

When you swap into or out of BEP20 on SwapZilla, be sure to select "BEP20" as the network when specifying the source or destination — the 0x address alone does not tell the sender which chain to use.